MISCELLANEOUS BILLS THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1955 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, D. C. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:15 a. m., in room 212, Senate Office Building. Present: Senators Johnson (presiding), Byrd, Symington, Jackson, Saltonstall, Flanders, and Case. Also present: William H. Darden and Verne D. Mudge, of the committee staff. Lawson B. Knott, Department of the Army. Senator JOHNSON. The committee will come to order. It is necessary for Senator Russell to preside over the Appropriations Subcommittee this morning. They are getting ready to report the agriculture bill, and he asked me to proceed in his absence. We have three bills involving military real estate to come before the committee this morning. In view of the fact that the Senators who introduced the bills may desire to appear before the committee in support of their bills, Chairman Russell has scheduled those bills for first consideration. Following that, a bill requested by the General Accounting Office will be considered, and the nomination of Rear Admiral Mumma to be Chief of the Bureau of Ships. We also have a small number of nominations of general officers of the Army and some routine appointments in the Army, Navy, and the Marine Corps. SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 26-ON THE OPERATION OF A TIN SMELTER AT TEXAS CITY, Tex. Senator JOHNSON. Before we call the first witness I should like to bring to the committee's attention a resolution on the operation of a tin smelter at Texas City, Tex. It is a concurrent resolution. (The resolution above referred to is as follows:) [S. Con. Res. 26, 84th Cong., 1st sess.] CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that, pursuant to the provisions and authority of Public Law 125, Eightieth Congress, as amended, the Government tin smelter at Texas City, Texas, shall be continued in operation until June 30, 1956, and so long thereafter as may be hereafter authorized by the Congress. SEC. 2. The President is hereby requested to have conducted a study and investigation for the purpose of recommending the most feasible methods of maintaining a permanent domestic tin-smelting industry in the United States; and, in connection with such study and investigation, the Federal Facilities Corporation, or any other designee of the President, is requested to show the plant and 1 facilities to any interested persons and to provide them with all necessary and appropriate information within the limits of security considerations upon which to base appraisals and to formulate proposals to the Government for the future operation of the smelter by the Government or under private lease or ownership arrangements. SEC. 3. The President is requested to report to the Congress prior to March 31, 1956, the findings of this study and his recommendations with respect to the future operation of the tin smelter. Senator JOHNSON. It was reported unanimously by a Joint Committee of Armed Services and Banking and Currency. Senator Bridges made the motion and we plan to have Senator Symington, the chairman of the joint committee, report the resolution as soon as Banking and Currency approves it, the draft of it, and the Armed Services Committee approves it. The resolution continues in operation until June 30 the tin smelter in the Western Hemisphere which is located in Texas City, Tex. The President in section 2 is requested to conduct a study and investigation for the purpose of recommending the most feasible method of maintaining a permanent tin-smelting industry. If there are any questions about it, we will be glad to have them. If not, we will authorize Senator Symington on behalf of the Armed Services Committee to have a report prepared as soon as Banking and Currency takes similar action. Senator BYRD. I make that motion. Senator JOHNSON. The motion is made and seconded. Without objection, Senator Symington will report the resolution. S. 148 Senator JOHNSON. The next on the agenda is Senate 148, which was introduced by Senator Hickenlooper for himself and Senator Martin of Iowa. (S. 148 is as follows:) [S. 148, 84th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To direct the Secretary of the Army to convey certain property located in Polk County, Iowa, and described as Camp Dodge, to the State of Iowa Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Army is authorized and directed to convey by quitclaim deed, without consideration, to the State of Iowa all right, title, and interest of the United States, except as retained in this Act, in and to the Camp Dodge Military Reservation, located in Polk County, Iowa, comprising 1,848.32 acres, more or less, and Polk County target range, Iowa, comprising 742.34 acres, more or less, both together with all buildings and improvements thereon, and all appurtenances, easements, rights-of-way, utilities belonging or appurtenant thereto. and SEC. 2. All mineral rights, including gas and oil, in the lands authorized to be conveyed by this Act shall be reserved to the United States. SEC. 3. The conveyance of the property authorized by this Act shall be upon condition that such property shall be used primarily for training of the National Guard and for other military purposes, and that if the State of Iowa shall cease to use the property so conveyed for the purposes intended, then title thereto shall immediately revert to the United States and, in addition, all improvements made by the State of Iowa during its occupancy shall vest in the United States without payment of compensation therefor. SEC. 4. The conveyance of the property authorized by this Act shall be upon the further provision that whenever the Congress of the United States declares a state of war or other national emergency, or the President declares a state of national emergency, and upon the determination by the Secretary of Defense that the property conveyed under this Act is useful or necessary for military, air, or naval purposes, or in the interest of national defense, the United States shall have the right, without obligation to make payment of any kind, to reenter upon the property and use the same or any part thereof, including any and all improvements made thereon by the State of Iowa, for the duration of such state of war or of such national emergency. Upon the termination of such state of war or of such national emergency plus six months such property shall revert to the State of Iowa, together with all appurtenances and utilities belonging or appertaining thereto. SEC. 5. In consideration for the conveyance of the lands described in the first section of this Act, the State of Iowa shall agree to use for military purposes only and not to sell, convey, or otherwise dispose of all or any part of certain lands (hereinafter called State lands) and improvements thereon which are owned by the State of Iowa and are used for National Guard purposes in connection with Camp Dodge and Polk County Target Range as of the date of enactment of this Act. The State of Iowa further agrees that it will, prior to delivery of the conveyance authorized herein, file with the Office of the Division Engineer, Corps of Engineers, Farm Credit Building, 206 South Nineteenth Street, Omaha, Nebraska, a description of and inventory of the State-owned property as defined herein. In the event that the State of Iowa at any time shall breach the agreement defined in this section, all right, title, and interest in and to the property conveyed to the State of Iowa by the United States under the provisions of this Act shall revert to the United States without cost. The State shall further agree that in the event that the Congress of the United States declares a state of war or other national emergency, or the President declares a state of national emergency, the use of the State lands and improvements thereon, or any part thereof, shall, upon request of the Secretary of Defense, be used by the United States during such emergency without cost to the United States. SEC. 6. In executing the deed of conveyance authorized by this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall include specific provisions covering the reservations and conditions contained in sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this Act. SEC. 7. The cost of any surveys necessary as an incident of the conveyance authorized herein shall be borne by the State of Iowa. SEC. 8. The Secretary of the Army is authorized to determine and enforce compliance with the conditions, reservations, and restrictions contained in this Act and any related documents. Senator JOHNSON. The bill proposes to convey certain lands to the State of Iowa without consideration, to be used for National-Guard purposes. The Department of the Army has advised it has no objection to the bill, but has suggested an amendment to the title. Senator Hickenlooper is present, and, Senator, I apologize for our delay in getting started, but I appreciate very, very much your coming over here, and we are delighted as always, to see you and have you here, and if you care to come to the committee table and make a statement, we will be glad to have it. Senator HICKENLOOPER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, we appreciate this opportunity. I wonder if the Department of the Army would care to give you a résumé on this first, or any way you would like to proceed. Senator JOHNSON. If you would prefer it that way, I would be glad to have that done. Senator HICKENLOOPER. It would probably lay a basis. Senator JOHNSON. As I understand it, they have no objection to the bill. They just suggested an amendment to the title to it. Does the Army have a representative here that would care to make a statement? Senator HICKENLOOPER. I only suggest that from my standpoint and orderly procedure I think the Army could give a very fine explanation of this bill and its purposes, and I will support it from the standpoint of our State and our local interests. |